New York men apprehended after bungled burglaries

Published 9:54 pm, Monday, August 31, 2009

Two out-of-state men were arrested Wednesday after they attempted to burglarize two homes in Chickahomony, but were thwarted by residents who were home at the time, police said.

"They were trying to find places that were unoccupied," said Detective Timothy Powell, head of the police department's Burglary Clearance Squad.

"They went 0-for-2."

Victor Jimenez, 46, of 1155 Hoe Ave., Bronx, N.Y., and Belarminio Jimenez, 45, of 1855 Madison St., Ridgewood, N.Y., were taken into custody after fleeing the town and ending up in Westport, police said.

According to Powell, a Greenwich woman called police and told them that her doorbell rang and upon answering it, she observed a white male attempting to open her porch window. The man told her they needed gas and then left the area, according to police.

A second victim told police that she noticed her purse was missing, her bathroom window open and the blinds moved in her home. There had been patio furniture placed beneath her bathroom window to allow entry into her home, according to Powell. Both calls came in between 7 and 8 a.m., police said.

With the help of the victims, police issued a description of the suspects' vehicle to area police departments. A short time later, at 10:30 a.m., Westport police informed Greenwich authorities that they had stopped a red minivan with New York license plates that matched the description. Several items that the two allegedly took from the homes were recovered in the car, police said.

Police said there was further evidence that the two had also committed crimes in other towns.

The first victim was able to identify Victor Jimenez as the man trying to enter her home through the porch window.